DICE general manager Karl Magnus Troedsson today popped up on the Battlefield blog with clarification that the content will be offered as a free download to all players post launch.

"I always knew our pre-order offers for Battlefield 3 would be open to misunderstandings," he wrote.

"I would like to start by clarifying that the Physical Warfare Pack is a time-based exclusive. If you do not pre-order Battlefield 3 at a retailer carrying the Physical Warfare Pack, don't worry. We will unlock the contents of the Physical Warfare Pack for free to all Battlefield 3 players later this year."

Troedsson also cleared up some confusion surrounding the Back To Karkand DLC map pack, free access to which is also being offered as a pre-order incentive.

"If you pre-order Battlefield 3, you will be able to play Back to Karkand at no extra charge as soon as it is released, but it is not day one DLC and it is not on the base game disc. We think it's a sweet deal, and it's available to everyone everywhere.

"If you do not pre-order Battlefield 3, you can still buy Back to Karkand separately and play it as soon as it is released, the very same date as anyone who pre-ordered. In other words, there is no segmentation of the community when we launch the base game."